Merged With Him (Merge, #1)

by Kylie Kent

I walk back out of the bathroom to find Mr. GQ standing at his desk—at least I think it’s his desk. He looks like he belongs here. Realising I’m staring at him again, I look back down at my phone. “I’m just going to call for an Uber and be on my way. Thanks for whatever it is you did for me last night.” “No,” he says, staring straight at me. I swear he can see right into my soul; his stare is penetrating… mmm, penetrating. Damn it, now I’m thinking of him penetrating in other ways. Shaking my head, I question him, “No? What do you mean, no?” “Exactly that. No, you won’t be getting an Uber home. I’ll drive you.” I must look like a confused nut job around this guy; he never seems to make sense to me. “Well, that’s nice of you, but I don’t even know you. I’ll just take an Uber.” “Do you know every Uber driver in Sydney?” he asks. “What? Of course I don’t know every Uber driver in Sydney,” I respond, shaking my head at him. “So, it’s safe to get in a car with a complete stranger, but not safe to get a lift home with the guy who saved you from being date raped last night?” He’s so matter of fact.

“I wouldn’t say that getting roofied by your date and passing out in a packed nightclub is nothing, Alyssa. Your night could have gone a lot differently if I wasn’t there,” Zac so helpfully points out. Sarah gasps. “You were roofied?” She doesn’t give me time to answer before she starts on her tirade. “By Ethan, the hot groomsman? What the fuck? I’m going to kill him—no, I’m going to torture him. I’ll start at his toes and make my way up his legs. I’ll skip his manhood, make him think I’m sparing him, and move to his fingers. It can’t be too hard to rip fingernails off, right? Then I think I’ll chop the fuckers off. Just when he thinks I’m done, that’s when I’ll strike him where it really hurts. Tie a string around his balls tight, then tie the other end to the door and slam it—you know, like kids do for teeth. I’ll keep slamming that door until his balls rip off.” Sarah paces as she continues mumbling to herself. I’m stunned into silence. I mean, I knew she was loyal as shit. What shocks me the most was how much I liked the picture she just painted in my head. I don’t recall a time I’ve ever been this pissed off with someone, and that’s saying something, because I’ve been in some shitty situations over the years. When I come to this realisation, I tell her, “I’ll help, and when were done, I’ll help bury the body. We’ll burn it in the grave before we shovel all the dirt back in too.” Sarah smiles and nods, like it’s a forgone plan.